The Arnold Sports Festival, the largest multi-sport events in the World, will be held in Columbus March 2-5. You can be a spectator or you can participate and sign up for the March 5th Arnold Pump & Run 5K or the run-only Arnold 5K. https://runsignup.com/Race/OH/Columbus/ArnoldSportsFestival

For 20 years I teamed up with Tim Pancher as co-race director of the Arnold 5K Pump & Run and Arnold 5K. Last year we passed the directorship to our timer Andy Harris and his Columbus Running Company team. I plan to be there on race day.

Jim Lorimer, co-founder of the Arnold Classic passed on Thanksgiving Day last year, he was 96. Lorimer was an attorney and Special Agent of the FBI who organized the Arnold Sports Festival since 1989. After assignments in three different FBI field offices, he moved to the private sector joining Columbus Nationwide Insurance for a 37-year career where he served as Vice President of Government Relations and established that company’s leading corporate fitness program. Lorimer founded the National Championship Ohio Women’s Track Club in 1959 and served as Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee for Women’s Athletics during the 1960s. He promoted National Championships in track and field and weightlifting in Columbus – and in 1970 directed the World Weightlifting Championships and Mr. World Contest. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the 1970 event and that developed into a friendship and partnership. When Arnold became Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports – Jim Lorimer served on that Council with him. Lorimer also served as Mayor and Vice Mayor of Worthington for 52 years.

Twenty-three years ago, I got a call from Jim Lorimer and he wanted to meet with me and he asked if I would head up a new event for the Arnold Sports Festival – the Arnold 5K Pump & Run. He had read an article of an event where runners lifted a portion of their weight based on their sex and age and for each successful lift their run time would be reduced (later I found out the event Jim read about only had 23 participants). Jim and I thought we might get 50 – 100 athletes to try this new event. After a week we had 150 entrants and we closed entries at 200 to guarantee we could handle the participants successfully. Years later we would raise the entrants to a 1,000 limit and would sell out as quick as 2 days. Tim Pancher oversaw the lifting for the 20 years we worked with Jim on this event for the Arnold Sport Festival. Jim was a great friend and a champion for athletics. He will be missed…